In a much-needed win for Warner Bros., Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice— introducing Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader and returning Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel — opened to a massive $170.1 million from 4,242 theaters, a defining moment in DC Entertainment's battle to compete with Marvel's superhero universe. It also helped deliver the biggest Easter weekend in history, up 13.5 percent over last year's record level, which was fueled by Furious 7 (..) If the $170.1 million estimate holds, it will also be the biggest start ever for Warners, edging out the final Harry Potter film ($169.2 million). And it easily bested the $152.2 million debut of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in March 2013 to boast the biggest pre-summer debut in history (..)

"There is no question this is an extraordinary achievement," said Warners domestic distribution chief Jeff Goldstein. "Clearly, audiences have embraced it and we are already seeing repeat business. It's just fun. Often, there's a disconnect between critics and audiences."

The stunning debut of the $250 million colossus provided a super start for Warner Bros. and Chairman Kevin Tsujihara‘s five-year strategy built on a DC Comics Universe: spend hundreds of millions on 10 Justice League superhero movies to make billions at the box office and more from on-demand and TV rights, licensing and merchandising for parent company Time Warner Inc., as Marvel Comics have done for Disney.

“When you swing for the bleachers and connect, it’s a tremendous feeling,” Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution chief told TheWrap Sunday. “This felt like we were launching several films, so to come through like this makes all of us very proud.”

Deadline

In addition, there’s a lot to be said for this Easter release date, and Warner Bros. decision to book a summer blockbuster on it. “The beauty of this date around the world versus summer is that you don’t have titles before and afterward. When you kick off Easter, you’re all by yourself. We have all this head room moving forward,” beamed domestic distribution Warner Bros. chief Jeff Goldstein. F7 played at No. 1 for four weeks before Avengers: Age of Ultron opened during the first weekend of May. Hopefully, BvS can do the same and not be tripped up by Disney’s The Jungle Book and Uni’s The Huntsman: Winter’s War.

Congratulations to Henry and the rest of the cast and crew of Batman v Superman. Henry is already preparing for Justice League, which begins filming April 11. Today his trainer (Michael Blevins) shared a pic from their previous work together, hinting on what's to come (don't miss our interview with him).

We have some Easter eggs for you as well -- Okay, more like several really great articles and this video below that break down what you may have questions about after watching Batman v Superman. Fair warning, it's only going to get you more excited for what's to come! -- SPOILERS AHEAD.

Finally, Zack also talked to Collider about the production schedule for Justice League and its official title. Check it out on their site and stay tuned for updates, as we begin our countdown to the start of filming at the Warner Bros. Studios outside of London.

1 comment:

I just saw the above video with Zack Snyder and I won't be seeing the movie until tomorrow, Tuesday. I know that it said it was a major spoiler and not to watch Zack unless you wanted to hear about a major event. I didn't listen. I can't believe what they are going to do with Superman. At least I know that he is set to star again as Superman in the Justice League movie that is about to begin filming. But I still am shocked!b

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